RBR Budget Retains All Programs and Sports for the 2019-2020 School Year

RBR Budget Retains All Programs and Sports for the 2019-2020 School Year

On May 1, the RBR Board of Education adopted its budget for the 2019-2020 school year which totals $27, 350,470. This budget maintains all educational programs and retains all sports programs including, golf and ice hockey.

Superintendent Louis Moore stated, “The budget development process this year has been challenging at times and we would like to thank the staff and community for all their efforts. A number of important changes have been made to the preliminary budget originally discussed at the Board of Education meeting held on March 20."

Ice hockey and golf have been restored with participants bearing some of the costs; a transportation contract for athletics has been successfully negotiated; and summer accelerated language program in French, Italian, and Spanish will be offered on a tuition-basis to new students.

Significant cost drivers in the budget are transportation expenses, health benefits, and tuition costs for out-of-district placements. This includes special education, vocational, as well as other alternative programs. These increases are not unique to RBR and are of concern to many districts throughout the state, as state aid has not kept pace with rising costs.

The district has also experienced a decline in revenue from tuition-paying students since 2015. However, goals for recruitment and enrollment of tuition-paying students have been met for the incoming 9th grade class. The passage of the facility referendum in December will ensure sufficient space for out-of-district students going forward.

In crafting the budget, several areas for savings were identified. Reductions were made in some assistant coaching positions, some support positions, facility repairs, and equipment purchases but the impact on academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs has been minimized. Families are being asked to bear more costs for AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment programs as well as some athletic and summer enrichment programs. Communities are being asked to contribute more in revenues.

Dr. Moore concludes, “With these targeted reductions and revenue enhancements, the budget supports the district’s commitment to excellence for all students. A new alternative education program, Inspire Academy, will be initiated that will reduce out-of-district placement costs, better serve at-risk students, and utilize THE SOURCE for counseling services. Because reductions to the professional staff have been minimized, class sizes in core academic areas will be maintained.”

The following chart reflects the RBR portion of the tax levy per each sending district. The actual increase/decrease to the individual homeowners’ tax bill varies with that household’s actual assessment, which may go up or down every year.